Toxic water kills fish in Quảng Bình

QUẢNG BÌNH (VNS) –– Polluted water containing toxic substances is the cause of the recent mass fish deaths in the coastal areas in this central province.

This information was revealed in a report released yesterday by the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD).

Local authorities have asked relevant ministries to determine the specific cause of the pollution, the vice-director of DARD, Trần Đình Du, said.

Fish farmers were recommended not to use water in their ponds and lakes, in which fish were raised, until the mass killings stopped, he said.

The deaths, which were noticed a week ago, have alarmed locals, with concerns growing when an eight-year-old girl in Quảng Trạch District’s Quảng Phú Commune yesterday presented symptoms of food poisoning, including regurgitation, headache and diarrhea, upon eating dead fish found on the beach.

Earlier this month, several fish in floating cages near the Vũng Áng industrial zones in the central province of Hà Tĩnh also died because of the polluted water.

It is believed the polluted water flows towards the south through Quảng Bình Province, causing the fish deaths, an official said. –– VNS